Method of and apparatus for manufacturing pills



(No Model.) A 2 Sheets-8heet 1. S. E. HEINEMANB METHOD OF AND APPARATUSFOR MANUFACTURING PILLS.

No. 499,542. Patented June 13, 1893.

SOLOMON E. HE/NEMAN,

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. E. HEINEMAN. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PILLS.

No. 499,542. Patented June 13, 1893.

Vfwnesses: SOLOMON 5. Hf/NEMAN,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLOMON E. HEINEMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTUFHNG PILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,542, dated June 13,1893.

Applicationfiled December 29, 1892. Serial No.456.696. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

l 3eit known that I, SOLOMON E. HEINEMAN, a c tizen of the UnitedStates, residing at De-{ troit, in thecounty of \Vayne and State of tinecoated pills, tablets, &c., and has for its object the rapid productionof such articles with uniform and perfect coatings throughout.

In the drawings,Figure l is a perspective view of the apparatus forcoating the pills; Fig. 2, a perspective View of aremovable tray, placedin the gelatine receptacle, and serving to remove the pills from thebath without excess of gelatine; Fig. 3, a view illustrating the mannerof dropping the pills through space in order to effect an evendistribution of the gelatine, and to cause the gelatine to set; Fig. 4,a perspective view of the drying box or chamber in which the gelatinecoating is dried and hardened; and Fig. 5,a perspective view ofapparatus suitable for crushing or breakingdown the body of the pill, orthe excipient within the gelatine shell.

The apparatus above illustrated is merely given as one of many typessuitable to the purpose,it being understood that the entire method orprocess can be carried out without special appliances,though not soeconomically as with a completely organized apparatus such as shown anddescribed herein.

For the purpose of more clearly distinguishing my invention fromexisting plans, I shall briefly state the two modes commonly practicedin the manufacture of gelatine coated .pills, tablets &c.

Under one plan, a properly medicated excipient constituting a masssufficiently firm to mold into proper shape is formed into pills ortablets either by rolling, or by a pill or tablet machine. The pills ortablets thus formed are impaled on needles and dipped into a solution ofgelatine, which forms a coating upon their surfaces at all points exceptwhere the needles enter. At this point, however, the pills are uncoatedThe operation is, moreover, slow and tedious, and the result is notwholly satisfactory.

Under the second of the plans referred to, perforated tubes are broughtinto contact with the uncoated pills, and, the air being exhausted fromthe tubes by suitable means, the pills are held against the tubes andover theperforations therein. While thus held the pills are dippedintogelatine sufficiently to coat one half of each, after which theoperation is repeated and the other half is coated. By this latter planthe holes left by the needles under the first plan, are avoided; but theoperation is comparatively slow,requires rehandling of the pills, andproduces a somewhat uneven coating.

Briefly stated, my process consists in immersing the uncoated pills in abath of suitably prepared gelatine, which forms the coating mixture;then quickly removing the pills by a suitable contrivance, from thecoating bath; then dropping the coated pills from a suitable heightthrough space; and finally drying the pills. The immersion effects acomplete coating of each pill; the falling through space causes an evendistribution of the fluid gelatine over the entire surface, the gelatinesetting as the pills fall through the air; and the final dryinghardensthe gelatine to the required degree.

The uncoated pills or tablets may be prepared by means of an ordinarypill machine or tablet machine, without excipient, if preferred, andneed only be compressed sufficiently to enable them to be handledconvenientlyin performing the coating operations. I am therefore enabledto produce as a finished product, gelatine coated pills or tablets ofuniform shape and coating, with or without excipient.

It is sometimes desirable that the contents of the gelatine shell orenvelope be in the form of apowder, a result hitherto unattained, so faras I am aware.

By subjecting the pills or tablets to slight pressure after the gelatinecoating is applied and has become set, but before it has become dry andhard, or in other words, while the coating is still pliable and elastic,the contents may be restored to their original pulverulent form withoutaffecting the shape or impairing the integrity of the coating orenvelope.

As above stated, the various steps in the coating of the pills ortablets may be carried out without specially constructed apparatus; butin manufacturing on a commercial scale, and to insure the most perfectresults, it will be found advisable to employ apparatus embodying theessential features of that represented in the drawings, wherein-- Aindicates a tank or vat to contain gelatine,which maybe maintained inproper fluid condition by the heat of a gas burner B or otherwise.Rising from the tank A is a framework O, designed to support a tray orperforated board D, which is furnished with a removable bottom board orslide E. The cells or perforations of the tray are advisably made of asize to freely accommodate one pill or tablet each, but not more thanone, so that the pills or tablets shall be separated, and

shall fall freely and separately into the gelatine bath when the bottomboard or slide Eis withdrawn.

Within the tank or vat A, and sustained therein by hooks or hangers a,is atray, F, of wire gauze, or other foraminous material, the

openings in which are too small to permit the pills or tablets to fallthrough them, but large enough to permit the escape of any excess ofgelatine when the tray is lifted out to remove the pills or tablets fromthe bath.

G indicates a vertical shaft or well-way, of 3 suitable length and area,through which the coated pills or tablets are caused to fall. To

effect such fall without collision or interference of the pills ortablets, care should be 5 taken to quickly and squarely invert the trayj. F over the shaft or well-way, as indicated in 5 Fig. 3. Indescending, the pills rotate, and the axis of rotation changesfrequently.

ciently set to prevent the pills from adhering to one another, or frombeinginjured by handling. The pills are received at the bottom of theshaft in a box or receptacle H, advisably containing a more or lessviscid fluid, such as a heavy oil, into which the pills fall withoutrebounding, and in which they float or remain partially suspended owingto the substantially like specific gravity of the coated pills and l theoil. The oil is subsequently cut and removed by alcohol or equivalentagent. The gelatine, though set, is now tough and elastic, and the pillsin this condition may be subjected to pressure and manipulationsufficient to reduce the contents of the shells or envelopes,that is tosay, the medicine or medicated excipient as the case may be, to apowdered state. The requisite pressure or ma- Hence the gelatinecoating, still quite fluid, is distributed with great uniformity overthe entire surface of each pill, and before the bottom of the shaft isreached the gelatine becomes suffithey are delivered upon an inclinedboard o, over which they roll down to the bite or line of nearestapproach of a pair of rollers d, suitably adjusted to give a properdegree of pressure. By giving the rollers a slightly dliferential speed,or by rotating them in reverse directions, a rolling as well as apressing action will be produced, which will be highly conducive to theloosening and separation of the particles of matter constituting thebody of the pill or tablet. From the rollers d the pills or tablets maypass by a second board or chute c to a second pair of rollers 01, and ifdeemed expedient, to other rolls in succession, and finally into asuitable receptacle. This step in the process maybe omitted if notdeemed desirable in any particular nstance.

The pills or tablets are taken either (11- rectly from the receptacle H,or after being operated upon by the apparatus I, to a drying chamber Jof ordinary construction; or they may be dried in the open air. It isadvantageous, however, to employ a drying chamber or box J,in which thepills are placed upon trays e, of netting, and through whlch a currentof dry warm air is forced by a fan, blower, or other usual means.

With the aid of apparatus of the character herein described, I amenabled to produce pills and tablets having a perfect and remarkableuniform gelatine coating, cheaply and expeditiously,the friable masswithin the gelatine shells or envelopes belng broken down or left in asolid mass as preferred.

In speaking of a well-way or shaft, I do not mean to restrict myself toa closely walled shaft or space, as all that is essential 1s asuificiently elevated support from which to drop the pills or tabletsthrough space; but a close-walled shaft-is preferable in that t preventsinterference by cross drafts or air currents.

No claim is herein made for the pills or tablets produced by the abovedescribed method and apparatus, but such claims are reserved for aseparate application.

Having thus described my inventlon, what I claim isl. Theherein-described method of manufacturing gelatine -coated pills andtablets, which consists in, first, making up a med1cat-ed mass or bodyof suitable form and size; second, immersing said body in a properlyprepared gelatine bath; third, removlng the coated body from the bath;fourth, causing said body to fall through space, thereby effecting theeven distribution and setting of the gelatine; fifth, receiving the bodyin a suitable receptacle; sixth, subjecting the coated body to pressureto break down the contents of the shell or envelope; and lastly,

pared gelatine bath; third, removing the coated body from the bath;fourth, causing said body to fall through space, thereby effecting theeven distribution and setting of the gelatine; fifth, receiving the bodyin a suitable receptacle; and lastly, drying the pill or tablet.

3. The method of coating pills and tablets wlt-hgelatine, which consistsin totally immersing them in a gelatine bath at a single operatlon andwithout contact with other body or support.

4 The method of effecting complete separatlon and immersion of pills ina gelatine bath, which consists in separating the pills one fromanother, and while thus separated, withdrawing their support andpermitting them to fall into the gelatine bath.

5. In the process of manufacture of gelatine p lls and tablets, thefollowing steps: first, coatlng the pills or tablets with gelatine in afluid state, and second, causing the coated pills or tablets to fallthrough space, and thereby to effect the even distribution and settingof the gelatine.

6. In the process of manufacturing gelatlue-coated pills and tablets,the following steps: first, producing medicated pills orbodies ofsuitable form and size; second, covering the same with fluid gelatine;third,causing the coated bodies to fall through air a distancesufficient to elfect an even distribution and setting of the gelatine;and fourth, causing said bodies with the coating thus equalized and set,to fall into a liquid body; whereby they are prevented from rebounding,and from adhering one to another.

7. In the process of manufacture of gelatine pills and tablets, thesteps, which consist in first coating them with gelatine,next permittingthe gelatine to set; and, lastly, subjecting them to pressure after thegelatine has set but before it has become dry and hard.

8. In combination with a tank or vat, a perforated board located abovethe same and adapted to hold apart pills or tablets to be coated; and aremovable board or bottom beneath said perforated board, for releasingthe pills or tablets and permitting them to fall into the tank or vat. I

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

SOLOMON E. HEINEMAN.

Witnesses:

DAVID E. HEINEMAN, JOSEPH M. WEISS.

